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Bangladesh decide not to travel to India for T20 World Cup matches, write to ICC
I have asked the BCB to explain the entire matter to the ICC, Bangladesh’s youth and sports adviser Asif Nazrul wrote on his official Facebook page.
Bangladesh’s youth and sports adviser said on Sunday that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided not to send its team to India for the T20 World Cup scheduled to begin on February 7. Bangladesh were supposed to play four matches in India — three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai. The decision comes on the heels of the BCCI instructing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman.
“Bangladesh will not go to India to play the World Cup, it was decided by the Bangladesh Cricket Board today,” Asif Nazrul, Bangladesh’s youth and sports adviser, wrote on his official Facebook page. “We welcome this decision taken in the context of the radical communal policies of the Indian cricket board.”
BCB has confirmed the development after a meeting attended by 17 board directors on Sunday, stating that they have written to the International Cricket Council.
"We have sent a letter to the ICC requesting that our match be moved from India to Sri Lanka,” BCB director Khaled Mashud Pilot was quoted as saying by The Business Standard, “If they have said they cannot provide security to one of our players, how will they ensure the security of our entire team? That is why we will not go there to play."
The Shah Rukh Khan co-owned IPL franchise had bought Rahman for ₹9.20 crore after a bidding war at last month’s auction in Abu Dhabi. But KKR were instructed by the BCCI to release the left-arm pacer in the wake of growing criticism of the actor for keeping Rahman at a time when Hindus are being attacked in Bangladesh. The BCB will also write to the BCCI seeking a formal explanation for Rahman’s release. Nazrul also said on Saturday he had requested the country’s information and broadcasting ministry to stop broadcasting the IPL in Bangladesh.
Sunday’s decision casts doubt on the T20 World Cup where the India-Pakistan group league clash has already been moved out of the country as per the hybrid model announced by the ICC that allows this match to be held in neutral venues.
If Bangladesh too refuse to play in India then the ICC, chaired by Jay Shah, could face a serious conundrum.
The decision to drop Rahman has clearly not gone down well with the political leadership as well as the BCB that has decided to revoke the NOC granted to the pacer for the IPL.
On Saturday night, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, Bangladesh’s adviser on cultural affairs, wrote in a Facebook post, “What happened with Mustafizur in the IPL is despicable. Bangladeshi citizens have witnessed the politics of hatred in this incident and are deeply saddened.
“As you know, the Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already expressed concern about the persecution of minority communities in India over the past few days. The relevant authorities will surely investigate whether this incident is also driven by the same motive. The safety of our cricket or football teams there in the future will also surely be considered.”
